The lost Daughter
by Naynay1130
Summary: When a young girl finds herself in faery she starts to learn about her forgotten past. She is the winter princess, Mab's daughter. Or is she? Only faithful readers shall know. Mwahahaha! No teams Puck or Ash but the two guys are there. Puck comes later.
1. Chapter 1

I am Ashley Paisley. I am turning sixteen in six hours. I am a blond, (a smart one at that), with sun kissed skin and green eyes. In the past six hours I have been dragged into "Faerie land" from the "Mortal world". I was brought here by my best friend Chip his real name is Charles. I am currently walking in the Wyldwood. At night. Oh joy!

"Chip w...what's that?" I pointed at a pair of beady eyes watching us from the inside of a bush.

"Oh, that? That would just be a blood sucking goblin. "At this news I shrieked and pressed my face into his shirt. I vowed to myself never EVER to go back into the woods EVER again. He stroked my hair until I calmed down. When I pulled away, he was smirking. Smirking! I see nothing funny about this!

"When we get outta here I am soooooooooo killing you!" He chuckled silently chuckled and I opened my eyes, wide. "What? It's not funny!" I whacked his shoulder with the back of my hand.

I walked away and after a while noticed that chip wasn't following me anymore .I turned in a full circle. Where is he? I started panicking. I heard my voice waver abit just a bit.

"Chip? Chip? Chip?" I spun around. "CHIP?"

"Shut up, would ya? You'll attract some unwanted attention."

"Chip!", I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed really hard ( partly because I was happy to see him and partly for scaring me). Then I poked him in the ribs to make a point and that's when I noticed he had changed clothes. I backed up a bit, "w...what happened to your clo...", he cut me off.

"I changed."

"Why? If I may ask."

"I figured Mab would be pissed if I came wearing jeans and a T-Shirt."

"Mab?"

"My queen, your mother."

"My mother? Chip my mom is Patricia Paisley and she's at home right about now!"

"Well..."

"And I'm NOT a glittery, pink, air headed, princess!"

"Okay, okay, touchy. I was just hintin' at your life. Ya know, mom, siblings..." Did he say siblings? Interesting.

"I have sisters? How old are they? What do they look like? Will they let me braid their hair? Ohmygosh we're gonna have lots of fun!"

"Slowwwwww dowwwwn. Ya have three brothers."

"Oh." Brothers. Whoop dee do. Immaturity here I come. I wonder how many times I'm gonna yell "shut up!" or "leave me alone!" or most likely "GO AWAY!". The goblin scuttled around behind us. It hid in a bush and then ran to another one. I swung my head in Chip's direction. "It's following us."

"I know."

I got so infuriated with the creature that I whirled around. I glared at it and rose my voice with every syllable that came out of my mouth. "Back off! Leave us alone! You are NEVER GOING TO EAT US!" The area around us got colder and an icicle shot out of my hand and hit a tree. The goblin ran off and I turned to Chip. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! How are you so calm? An icicle just shot out of my HAND!

"I know, that's normal."

"HOW?" All he did was laugh and say "You'll see." I'll see? How on EARTH was that normal?"

"You'll understand eventually.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Another chapter up. Sorry to keep you all waiting so... here it is.

Chip's POV ~~~~~~~~~ I had to endure a whole two hours of "How was that normal?" and "What did you mean by 'normal'?". After those two hours she stopped. I turned to face Ashley and sighed. She didn't know how to control glamour, or what glamour was for that matter, and so she couldn't hide her emotions. I could plainly read the cloud of orange and black: fear and fatigue. I didn't know how she planned on surviving in Unseelie territory. She placed her hands on her hips, when she caught me watching her.

"What? Am I that interesting?" she glared at me.

"We should rest." I led her to a tree and waited for her to fall asleep. She laid her head on my shoulder and her eyelids shut. She looked like an angel while asleep, reminding me of nine years ago when I fell for her. I knew I shouldnt have because of the HUGE age difference but she was so...so perfect in every which way. Smart, funny, cautious, beautiful, and gentle. She trusted me. That was the only reason she agreed to come. Well, that and I told her I would lead her to her real parents: she was an adopted child.

At the tender age of three, she was kidnapped by an angry druid tribe. It was because of their priestess' grandaughter. She died due to a broken heart caused by a Winter prince who had taken everything she had to offer: her body, soul, and heart. The rage of the tribe was so strong, they decided it was in order to ruin his life. He got along very well with the little girl, and so kidnapping the only one of his siblings he cared about was the perfect payback. He plunged into a deep depression when she dissapeared and would speak to no one.

I watched the forest, wary of any lurking dangers. As long as I was here, nothing would harm my best friend. Eventually, the sun came out and we needed to keep moving. I shook her awake and her eyelids flew open. She smiled half-heartedly and stretched.

"Good morning," she yawned as I helped her up.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," I returned. She rolled her eyes and took a step forward, closing the space between us and causing my heart to beat faster. She pinched my arm and walked away, leaving me to bite my lip. I had to keep reminding myself that (unless Mab permitted) I couldn't take any steps towards a relationship with Ashley. I followed her and found her stopped right at the edge of the wyldwood. She was watching the snowflakes bouncing off an invisible barrier in awe.

"H...h...how?" She placed one arm in Tir Na Nog. When she pulled it out it seemed to be paler. She gaped at it and turned it around. She stepped in and her appearance changed, her

becoming more beautiful than before. Black hair, pale skin, bright red lips, and purple eyes. Her eyelashes grew longer and her hair grew down to her waist. She shook the rippling curls and smiled.

"No more dumb blonde jokes! Yes! In your face, Amanda!" She did a little jig and pulled me forward into Tir Na Nog. I purposely stumbled into her, sending us crashing into the snow. She shrieked as the snow came in contact with her skin. We landed with me on top of her and she tried to push me off, but found she wasn't strong enough. I laughed as she pouted that pout that melted my insides.

"This reminds me of when we were in the sixth grade and I tackled you for scaring the crap out of me." She tried one last time to push me off and once again failed epically.

"Yeah, except you were on top and I couldn't get you off," I laughed. She rolled her eyes and gasped.

"Oh. My. God. Chip! Your hair! I...It's silver. And your eyes are blue!" I rolled off of her as she continued rambling on and on about all the changes that had happened. She sat up and watched me as I stood. I pulled her to her feet, purposely causing her face to be inches from mine. Mab didn't say anything about her taking a step toward a relationship. Ashley's breath caught. Her eyes were sparkling; they met mine and for a moment I was sure we were about to kiss. But she quickly looked away, breaking our connection. I felt my heart drop and I let go of her hands, backing up to put space between us.

I looked towards the direction of the palace and chewed my lip. We were about three days away from the protection of Mab's home. Ashley took a deep breath and cocked her head. "How much longer until we get there?"

"Three days." I watched as her eyes lost their shine of hope. She licked her lips and shivered.

"It's so cold," she rubbed her arms and looked at the snow covered trees. A thought ran through my mind. 'I could give her my coat.'

"Here." I wrapped my coat around her shoulders and pulled the edges forward, making sure it fully covered her. She wrapped her arms around my waist. She squeezed and looked up into my eyes. I could feel my insides melt as she smiled her sparkling smile. Before I could realize what I was doing, I had lowered my forehead to hers. Her smile faded and her breath caught. I pulled the edges of the coat tighter and pressed my lips to hers. When she didn't return the kiss, I pulled back to look her in the eyes. Her eyelids were closed. Her breathing became faster and she quickly pulled away from me. My heart sank and Ashley quickly faced the direction we had been going. "We should, uh, keep walking."

"Yeah." I nodded and quickly started walking. She caught up with me and walked in silence. I was so confused. 'Her eyelids were closed. Does that mean she liked it? But at the same time she didn't kiss back. Did she think it was gross?' I quickly shoved those thoughts away and sealed off all of my emotions. If I wanted to survive I would have to appear emotionless.  
At the same time, I needed to protect Ashley. Rowan was likely to kill her in week. This was going to be hard: not impossible, but near to it.

A/N: YES! First chapter that hints toward any romance in the fanfic. But will it work out is the question you all should be asking yourselves. Wasn't it kinda cute the thoughts Chip had about her? So cute! At least I think it is. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So I thought about it for several nights and here is chapter 3. And a special thanks to my beta reader, Queen of Air and Darkness. Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Iron Fey characters, settings, or anything else.  
All that stuff and creativity goes to Julie Kagawa. So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen I give you chapter 3.

Ashley's POV

We walked in awkward silence. Why did he kiss me? We're friends. But he _is_ a good kisser. No, he's a _great_ kisser. He's obviously experienced. UGH!  
He's my best friend. He's not a good kisser. He is not. _But he is_. He also has sparkling sapphire eyes, this beautiful silver hair that gets into his eyes, and honestly, he's pretty buff. He's also about three inches taller than me.  
I let my mind race through all the things I liked, really liked, about him. He looked at me and grabbed my wrist.

"Ashley, here they prey on the weak. They consider emotions a weakness and  
you're used to letting your emotions run wild. You just were and I'm not even  
gonna ask what you were thinking about cause honestly it was really weird. But that aside I'm gonna be acting  
different and I'm not gonna be your best friend, I'm gonna be just another face you pass by in the halls. With  
that said, don't let your emotions get the best of you or distract you, pay attention to your surroundings, and above all never let  
anything or anyone sense your fear. Clear?"

"Yes. But can I ask you a question?" I looked into his eyes and noticed something like  
torment or sadness shining in them. They also held something close to love; I  
couldn't be sure though.

"Yes." he answered cautiously.

"Why did you kiss me?" I crossed my arms.

"It doesn't matter, I'll never do it again." _Okay_, _hurtful_! "Besides, aren't  
you glad your first kiss was so handsome?" he waggled his eyebrows. My jaw  
dropped. How did he know he was my first kiss? I rolled my eyes and kept walking; his immaturity is what  
makes me _not_ so head over heels for him. I spotted a hot guy farther away. I walked closer to him and was about to ask for  
directions but I tripped on a tree root and fell into his arms.

"Are you all right?" He pulled me upright again, then pulled back once I was back on my own two feet. I noticed how beautiful he was, with dark hair and silver eyes. My heart fluttered.

"Yes."

"What is your name? I feel as if I know you from somewhere." his hand was still on my elbow and I leaned closer, caught up in his beauty. Our foreheads touched and he was so close...

"Uhhh, guys!" Chip broke in before I could do anything else, running over and stopping next to us. "You're actually siblings! May I introduce you? Ash, Ashley. Ashley, Ash." Ash dropped my arm and backed up. I blushed and looked at my toes. That would've been good to know thirty seconds ago!

"Hey bro." I let out awkardly and playfully punched his arm. Chip winced and pulled me back, just in time to save me from a glowing blue sword slashing down on at the spot I was standing only seconds before. My eyes widened and I hid behind Chip.

"She meant no harm!" Chip reached back to grip my hand.

"She attacked me." Ash stated simply. What? That doesn't qualify as attacking. It wasn't even hard.

"She couldn't hurt a fly. And remember your tiny baby sister? Yeah, that's her." He pointed behind him, at me. Ash's eyes widened and for a second I swear he was going to jump into the air like a high school graduate.

"That's her?" he said, stunned. "But she's so grown up. That can't be her. It can't be."

"Oh, but it is. Look at her. Is this or is this not your little sister?" Chip pushed me in front of him. I glared at him over my shoulder and pretended not to have much interest in Ash as he scanned me up and down.

"It is her." The corner of his lips twitched and his eyes shone with a mixture of sadness and happiness.

Ash's POV

I missed having a little sister, someone I could twirl, trust, and be myself with. But now she's all grown up. I can't do any of that anymore. I'm happy she's home safe, but I long for those years of her growth that I missed. I wish I could've watched her mature and grow. I wish I had my baby sister back. But that's impossible. She's already  
sixteen. I miss having that little follower that would never leave me alone and would trail me everywhere. I wish. And that's all I can do. Wish.

A/N: So now Ashley is unsure of her feelings. I'm not necessarily gonna make it work out for Chip and Ashley. But I could. And wasn't Ash's POV sad? Aww  
poor Ash.

Ash: Leave me alone. I wasn't all that pitiful.

Me: True. But you were so squishable. Oh and I think Meghan likes a  
sentimental guy. Oh Meghan!

Meg: What?

Me: Look at Ash's POV

Meg:_ Awwwwwwwwwww_

Ash: *sighs and face palms*


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay so it's been a while since I last updated (sorry had _major_ wb). Yet  
again there will be small fluff. Not much cause of where they are. And  
please, please, please, pleeeeeeeeeease review. 3

-

Chip's POV

~~~~~~~~~~

Ash and I walked into Mab's throne room. Ashley was close behind. Mab looked  
upon Ash with loving eyes and then fixed her eyes on me. "Charles, you dare  
come back without my daughter! Instead you come back with a... what is she?"

Rowan smirked. "Maybe she was dead so he brought you a plaything as

compensation."

"She is your daughter." I pushed Ashley in front of me. She kept her chin up  
and kept her eyes on the Queen of the Unseelie.

"I see. Someone show her to her room. I don't really care who, but I want her  
alive. That is my only request." She waved a dismissive hand in our direction.  
A few knights stepped towards her and tried to pull her away. I quickly took her hand and pulled her  
away from them. "Oh, and Charles, I must speak to you. _Now_."

I sighed and let go of her hand. A knight I didn't recognize took her by the  
elbow. He pulled her to the doors and I turned to face Mab. I bowed to my  
queen and kneeled on the steps in  
front of her throne. She watched me with cold eyes and finally spoke. "Do you  
know WHY I want to speak to you?"

"No, my queen." I really had no clue.

"I was wondering if there is anything between you two. I have eyes and ears  
everywhere and I'll find out if you hide anything from me." She tapped her  
fingernails together, making me  
extremely nervous.

"There is nothing between us." I tried to get up but something was holding me  
down. Mab was using glamour to keep me from moving. She rose from her seat.

"Do not leave. By the look you had in your eyes when she left, I can tell  
you're growing weak. You have feelings for her, of that I am sure. Feelings  
are a weakness. I cannot have a weak knight, Charles. Show no emotion or you will end up an icicle in my courtyard.  
Now, leave before I lose my patience."

I gave her a nod and rose to my feet. I quickly left to the hallway filled  
with bedrooms. There was a quiet sobbing noise. It was unmistakably Ashley.  
Running down the hall, I found her. She was in her bedroom; I could hear her. I kept my ear  
to the door listening to what she was saying. "I can't see my adoptive family.  
I can't see my friends. I can't go to school. And my best friend… won't be able to… be my friend."

Ashley's POV

~~~~~~~~~~~

My family, my friends, my school, my... everything, all down the drain. I  
worked so hard in school just to fit in. I never quite managed to do that. My  
parents never treated me like they did their own children. I was crying for a long time. The knight that had brought me had left. The door creaked open. I looked up and found Chip in the doorway. His face was stony, it showed no emotion.

I looked away as he entered, afraid that he would be able to read  
me like an open book. He sat next to me, looking into my eyes. "Ashley, I'm  
sorry I can't act like I used to."

"It's not that." I turned my head to look in the other direction. He took my  
hand and played with my fingers.

"Then what is it?" he scooted closer, causing me to look at him.

"Have you ever... wanted to do something so bad but become afraid to speak  
your mind to the person who suits you just right?"

"Yes." he pulled me closer, placing my hands on his chest. His heart was  
beating really fast, matching mine.

"That's how I feel." I closed my eyes.

"Who is it that suits you just right? I'll tell you mine if you say your's first."

"I can't tell you yet. You'll have to wait. But anyways, thank you for lending me your coat." I took it off and gave it to him.

"Don't use 'thank you' ever. It could get you wrapped up in an irreversible  
contract. The Unseelie will take advantage of you in so many ways. Be careful." he stood up and left. I began to shiver. I wrapped myself in my covers and locked my door. I sat on my bed wondering to myself if I would ever tell him that the one that suits me just right is him.

There was a knock at my door. I opened it and found one of my brothers. Sage, I believe.

"Hello, sister." he spat the last word and curled his lips into a cruel smile.

"Hello, Sage, is it?" I watched as his eyes filled with a mocking look.

"Rowan. Mab wants you to go to a fitting. You know where to go, I'm sure." he  
left and I was there alone. I'm not quite sure what a fitting is. I dropped my  
blanket and ran into the hall. I sprinted blindly through the hallways, not sure where I was going. I found the queen and skidded  
to a halt.

"Sorry I'm late. I wasn't sure where to go."

"Rowan was supposed to take you here. Where is he?"

"Heck if I know. He left after he told me I had a fitting."

"I will need to speak to my son. But go inside. They will be fitting you for a  
cloak. It should be done in two weeks." _Two weeks_? I'm freezing my butt  
off and this is going to take two freakin' weeks?

Four satyrs were taking my measurements. I was measured from shoulders to thighs. They were amazed at the size of my waist. I ignored their compliments on how well I take care of myself and simply let them continue their measuring. They gave me three color choices: crimson, black, and silver. I chose black. I left the room and began to go back to my room when a familiar voice stopped me. "Ashley, why did you leave us?" it was my adoptive mother.

"Mom?" My jaw dropped.

"We really miss you at home. If you come with me I'll make sure you never have  
to see any of these wretched faeries again." she opened her arms wide.

"O...okay." I gave her a hug and began following her down the hall. This was  
unreal. She couldn't be here. It was impossible. Yet, here she was. A small  
wind zipped past my head and struck her back. It was an ice arrow. I screamed and held her limp body in my  
arms. A small ripple passed through the air and she turned into a spark of  
blue light. Its glow faded and  
it exploded into a bunch of tiny sparks. Some got in my eyes. I blinked  
away tears of both physical and emotional pain. I whirled on the archer and  
found Chip. "You? You did this? You killed my mother! Why?"

A/N: Dun dun_ duuuuuuun_! It was hard to get Mab and Rowan in character so they  
might have been a _little_ OOC. Sorry. Oh and Disclaimer! Disclaimer: I only own  
Chip and Ashley the rest goes to Julie Kagawa.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I was confused on what to write but royalwriter gave me an idea so, without further ado, chapter five everyone. Wait there's some ado! Disclaimer: I own only Chip and Ashley. Nothing else is mine.

_

Chip's POV

~~~~~~~~~~

All I did was save Ashley from a will-o-the-wisp that had teamed up with a redcap gang and she gets all mad at me. What did I do?

"I can't believe you!" She rose a hand to slap me. I reacted quickly and caught her wrist before her hand could hit me. She glared at me and broke into spontaneous tears. She threw herself into my arms and sobbed loudly. "My mother."

"Hey now, calm down. It wasn't your mother." I sighed and began to pat her back as she sobbed even harder. "It was a will-o-the-wisp."

"A what?" she looked up and rose an eyebrow at me.

"A will-o-the-wisp. They pretend to be something they're not and lead ignorant fey or humans into serious trouble. That one was going to take you to a pack of redcaps." I knew she was going to freak out. Or worse, start crying again.

"R..redcaps? As in, those little bloodthirsty goblins that dip their hats in their victim's blood?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes."

"Oh, Chip. Y..you saved me. You saved me from those redcaps." I was about to tell her that it was nothing but she pressed her lips to mine. I reacted immediately. Moving my lips on her cherry-chapstick-flavored ones. She tangled her delicate fingers in my hair. If someone interrupted us, I'd kill them. She pulled back, smiling brilliantly. There was so many things I wanted to do but there was no way that she'd ever agree to all of them. I smiled at her and she immediately blushed and looked away. It was getting late and she wouldn't want to see what all the creatures of the night looked like.

"You should get to bed."

"Why? I'm not even tired." She yawned. "Okay, so I am tired, but still."

"Come on." I took her hand and led her to her room. She kicked off her shoes and crawled under her covers. I turned to leave, but her voice stopped me.

"Stay. Please. I don't want to be alone in this place." Her voice trembled and when I turned around her eyes were full of innocence. She was so vulnerable. I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. "Please." she repeated. I sat on the edge of her bed. "Don't you wanna get under the covers?" Her voice was as innocent as her eyes. I sighed and sat under her sheets but never getting too close to her. She curled up next to me and snuggled as close to me as she could possibly get. "Come on, don't be so uptight. You can lay down." Ashley pushed down on my chest with a finger. I smirked and lay next to her. She got even closer and smiled up at me as I wrapped my arms around her. I was happy enough to just have her with me. For her to have been the one to invite me to lay with her. I knew there was something, no, someone I was forgetting. Someone that I had feelings for about sixteen years ago. Someone that was waiting for me. I decided to push the thought's away and forget about this person. They surely must've forgotten about me while I was away.

"Ashley?" I looked down at her.

"Hmm?" Her eyelids were shut and a smile was stretched across her face.

"Can I ask you something?" My heart began to speed up.

"Yes."

"Where are we at? What are we?" I was a bit confused on where we were in our relationship.

"Well, we're in Tir Na Nog. And we are faeries, apparently. Are you okay?" she scrunched her eyebrows together in an adorable fashion.

"No, I mean where are we in our... relationship? Are we friends or...?" Oh great. Just great. My voice squeaked on "friends". Ashley's expression went blank and she chewed her lip. I was going to dismiss the question but she opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, I guess we're best friends." she answered with a hint of sleepiness in her voice.

"I think we are." Oh, I wish she would've answered as us being more than that. I looked down at her and found her asleep. Her beautiful black curls were spread all over the place. I kissed her forehead and smiled as she pressed even closer. I couldn't help but think about how innocent and vulnerable she was. Anyone would take advantage of her. I wouldn't let anyone touch her. Not as long as I was around. I fell asleep next to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Ashley's POV

The next morning, I woke up feeling colder than I was before. I opened my eyes and turned to find Chip next to me. I nearly screamed, but thankfully I reminded myself that I had been the one to invite him to sleep with me. (Literally, stop being gross people.) He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my neck, still asleep. I lay there thinking about his question last night. I wanted to kick myself. I was so stupid. I got up, careful not to wake him, and changed into fresh clothes that, by my guess, someone had brought while I was asleep. I changed in my bathroom and brushed my hair.

I was wearing a silver long sleeved baseball tee and jeans. I put my hair into a French braid with a silver flower clip holding my bangs in a side sweep.

I walked into my room and almost jumped at the sight of Chip awake. He had changed and combed his hair. He looked so nice in a pair of black pants and a crimson shirt. I nearly fainted when he greeted me with a kiss. "Good morning." A lazy smile spread across his face. I blushed.

"Morning." I mumbled.

"You look beautiful." He chewed his lip.

"You really think so? I-" I was interrupted by the door being flung open.

"Charles! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! I heard you were back and I couldn't believe it so I went looking for you. Someone told me you were in the princess' room so I came to check. I missed you so much!" A girl far more pretty than I rambled on endlessly about how lonely she'd been while he was gone. At first I thought she was his sister or cousin but then she kissed him. And I'm not talking a quick kiss. I'm talking a half minute, passionate, sloppy, wet kiss. I nearly burst. Why didn't he tell me he had a girlfriend? Or fiance, if the ring on her finger was any clue.

"Aubrey, there's something I have to tell you." His face went stone cold.

"Sixteen years without you has been a really lonely time. But now you're back and we can get married!" She continued, as if he hadn't spoken.

"This isn't easy for me to say... but I've moved on."

"What?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't love you any more." He didn't show any emotion, but she did. She was angry and hateful.

"I wait for you for sixteen years and you decide you don't love me anymore? That you want to leave me? For what? What came and replaced me?" She yelled, and I seriously didn't want Chip to answer that.

"Look Aubrey, I fell in love again." _uh, oh._

"You leave me for thirteen years to raise our child alone and you have the nerve to just move on? To fall in love again? Who is this girl?" She was still yelling. _Oh, Chip, please don't answer that._

"That's not important." Chip kept his voice steady.

"I will find out who she is. And when I do I will kill her slowly and painfully." _She's going to kill me?_ I cringed and bit my lip. She stormed out of the room, leaving us alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chip's POV

Ashley seemed paler and her hands trembled. She burst into tears and fell to her knees. I bent over and brought her up by her elbows. She leaned into me and continued to cry.

"No. No. Ashley, don't... don't cry. Don't do this. I won't let her get close to you. She won't hurt you, I promise. Let's go eat some breakfast." I wiped tears off her cheek. Her eyes seemed to cloud over and she burst into tears. "Look, come on. Don't cry. Please don't cry again. I love you." I  
pressed my lips to hers and she immediately pulled back and spoke.

"I love you, too." she wiped away some tears. "Let's eat." It was still obvious that she had been crying.

"Keep your head down. We don't want anyone to see right through you." I took her hand and walked out the door. She did as I told her to and slowly composed herself. She decided to look up and quickly paled. A group of redcaps were re-tinting their hats and bandanas in a victim's fresh blood. She whimpered and tried not to appear scared but her emotions were hovering in a dense cloud all around her. The redcaps looked up and sneered at her. She pressed closer to me and shrieked as their leader jumped up to attack her.

I processed it slowly and finally reacted when they had tackled her to the ground. They took out small daggers to cut her with and a loud scream escaped her perfect lips. I unsheathed my sword and slashed at them. Several of the redcaps reacted viciously, lunging at me. They would've killed me had I not reacted quickly. I split one in two, froze another, and threw ice daggers at the remaining three. The other five were still attacking Ashley. She screamed again and kicked away one redcap. One had cut her forehead and blood was running down the side of her face. I quickly killed four redcaps, and the fifth ran off.

Ashley's eyes were wide and her face was paler than usual. I sighed and took her hand, helping her up. Her bright red lips trembled and she gave me a hug. I looked down at her and turned my face as serious as I could. "We're still alive. You're okay. Come on." I made a quick stop to clean her wound.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashley's POV

He worked quickly and efficiently, wiping away the blood and inspecting the cut. "It's not deep, that's good. It should heal soon with this." he spread a cream on the gash and the corners of his lips twitched.

"What?" I pursed my lips. He matched them with his own. I froze. _WHAT AM I DOING_? _KISS HIM! KISS HIM_! I wanted to kick myself. I wouldn't obey myself. I wouldn't kiss him. He stopped and pulled back.

"Nothing. Now I know. We're just friends. There's nothing between us." his expression was stony and blank. Why wouldn't he show me what he felt?

"No. It's not that."

"I think it's better this way anyways. Besides, you are only fifteen. You're not ready for a relationship." _So he did forget_.

"I'm sixteen. My birthday was three days ago. And I can to handle a relationship." I crossed my arms.

"You are?" He wrinkled his nose. I nodded sadly. "Happy birthday." he said weakly.

"It's okay. I didn't really expect anyone to say anything anyways. It's no big deal." _liar_. I told myself.

"Let's go eat breakfast." He took me to a room full of winter gentry. There was whispers and plenty of glares. Everyone watched us as we made our way to two empty seats next to each other. I had a few fruits and a waffle. They gave me a weird wine thing. I rose an eyebrow at it and looked in Chip's direction.

"Wine with breakfast?"

"That's normal. Just don't drink too much of it. That's faery wine, very potent." he explained.

"Oh." I took a small sip of it and instantly fell in love. It was amazing. Who knew faery wine (or any wine) tasted so good? I must have had like eight glasses of the stuff. Chip looked over at me wide eyed.

"Please don't tell me you had more than three glasses. That's enough to get you drunk."

"I had eight." I giggled. He paled.

"Oh no. I'm dead. I am SO dead." He face-palmed. That was the last thing I remember before things started to seem like a strange dream.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I thought about this for a while and while listening to the radio I was all like "I know what to write!" and my mom looked at me like I was insane. Luv all of you that keep coming back. Don't stop reviewing. Disclaimer: I own nothing. And response to LianaDare8: her ya go

_

Chip's POV

After a very heated discussion with Mab, I was assigned to watch after Ashley today. Now, normally that wouldn't be so bad. But considering she's drunk... I'm in serious trouble.

Ashley was just barely able to walk, which made my job extremely hard. She giggled and hugged me, then took in a deep breath. "You smell like pinecones and Christmas and reindeer. And SANTA CLAUSE!" She stumbled and fell. I helped her up and shook my head.

"You really are drunk, aren't you?" I steadied her.

"Yup. Red juice tasty. Why evil lady wanna kill me? I did nothing wrong. I just pretty." She frowned. "I didn't do anything wrong. Did I?" She looked at me expectantly.

"No. You didn't do anything wrong." I assumed she was talking about Aubrey. It wasn't her fault she was perfect. It wasn't her fault that she was different from all the girls I've ever met. It especially wasn't her fault I fell in love with her. I love her. I'm IN love with her. I'm in love with Ashley.

While I was thinking, Ashley snuck off. _I'm in serious trouble_. What will I do if Aubrey kills her while I'm looking for her? What will Mab do to me? Oh, lord. I have to find her. _NOW_.

I ran down the halls just looking for Ashley's innocent face. I heard a voice whining. "Let me go. Don't touch me. Stop it. Don't do that. Let me go! Stop!" The voice screamed. From what I heard, that was Ashley. I took off in the direction of the frantic screams. _What were they doing to her_? I would kill whoever it was that was bringing her harm. The screams continued and I began to run faster. Finally, I found where her voice was coming from. I burst into a room to find a Thornguard trying to disrobe her. He already had her in her underwear. She spit in his eyes and tried to get away from him, but he cast a spell on her so she couldn't move unless he released her. Ashley's eyes found me and she stopped screaming. "Help." I started forward but the Thornguard rose. "Chip." Her eyes closed and I glared at the Thornguard.

"I should report you to Mab. She will kill you, and you know that. So, why wait that long when I could kill you now." I unsheathed my sword.

"Charles, you really aren't trying to play the part of the good boy, are you? Defending the princess's honor. How very noble of you," he laughed mockingly. He took out his sword as well and took an attack stance. I matched his stance and was about ready to lunge when the door was thrown open and an ice shard hit the Thornguard. He fell, dead, right before dissolving into the ground. I turned to find Ash's face twisted with hate and anger.

"Are you a part of this?" He yelled, gesturing to Ashley.

"No. I had nothing to do with it. I heard her screams and came running. I ran in and found him doing this to her." I said hurriedly, sheathing my sword.

"Where are her clothes?" Ash looked around and spotted them on the ground. He picked up the jeans and tee, only to find them cut. "We can't just carry her out like this," he sighed. I was already ahead of him. I put Ashley in my coat and buttoned it up. It was long enough to cover her but if it were any shorter, you would be able to see her underwear. I scooped her into my arms and sighed. We took her to her room and wrapped her in her sheets. We looked through her closet and took out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I dressed her with minimum to no help from Ash. He glared at me warningly and left.

I sat on the edge of the bed and raked a hand through my hair, wondering when she would wake up. "Chip?" Ashley's shaky voice scared me. She giggled, but then turned dead serious "Who dressed me? What happened? Why are there giant pink butterflies in the room?" She began looking around in awe. "They're so beautiful," A tear escaped spilled over onto her cheek. I became a bit worried about her.

"Are you still drunk?" I asked her, taking her hand.

"N..no. I never been drunk in life. Juice make me very happy though." She shook her head and pursed her lips. I shook my head as well and scooped her up. She giggled and kissed my cheek. I tensed at the feel of her lips being warm. I don't remember this being part of the effects of this wine. Why is she warm? That's not normal for Winter fey. Is she sick?

"Are you all right?" I gave her a weak squeeze. She giggled, sounding like an airhead. "I'll take that as a no, then. Come on, we're taking you to someplace where you can be inspected for any sickness." I carried her to the medics with minimum protest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the doctors inspected her, they came back with grim faces. Ashley trailed behind them. They had obviously done something to cancel out the effects of the wine. She came out with an odd mix of her identities: blonde with purple eyes, and an aura of both courts. _What did they do to her_? I started forward but the medic stopped me. "Get the queen." He said "Now."

I ran to Mab, telling her what had happened to Ashley. The queen followed me to the medics. She spoke with them in private and I only heard one small part of it: "Ashley is part Seelie."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Who's ready for an explanation of what had just happened in my last chapter. Oh, and if you review and tell me if ChipxAshley should work out I will pick by your votes what will happen between them. OC spots open. Leave descriptions of how you want your character to be like. Disclaimer: I do not own the Iron Fey series.

Ashley's POV

I was in shock. From the explanations I had received from Ash and Chip, the two courts hated each other. There was no way the Queen of the Unseelie would have a child with a Seelie. Mab couldn't possibly be my mother. Either that, or they messed up when they decided I was part Seelie. The medic was still talking, but I wasn't listening anymore. Mab was eyeing me angrily. Several of Rowan's Thornguards were looking me up and down and I felt as if I wasn't wearing any clothes; as if the guards were looking at my bare body. One of them seemed to notice my discomfort and smirked at me. I was about to look away when he winked. I blushed and found that he was more captivating than most of the fey.

"Princess!" The medic snapped. "Pay attention and stop flirting with the Thornguard." he reprimanded me.

"I wasn't flirting. I wasn't even talking to him." I crossed my arms.

"You were flirting with your eyes." The medic returned. "But, nonetheless, you must pay attention. We are talking about you. You are part Seelie. And Her Majesty was just going to tell us all just how you came to be part Seelie. Weren't you, my queen?" The medic bowed.

"Yes, well, we all wish for the impossible." She placed a hand on his cheek. He fell to his knees and choked. His body convulsed and his body fell, lifeless. Blood trickled from the

corner of his mouth. I whimpered and hid behind Chip. He stiffened and reached back, pulling me out from behind him. Mab gave me a smug smile. "Now, child, why don't you go to your room?" She crossed her arms.

"No. I want to know who my father is. I need to know." I stood my ground. "Tell me, who is my father, Mab? It shouldn't be hard for you to remember, considering he is a Seelie." I was surprising myself by defying the Queen of Air and Darkness. She could kill me like she killed the medic. She could kill me right now, without a thought. Her eyes bugged and she gave me a glare that, if looks could kill, meant I would be dying right now.

"I'll tell you when you're older." She signaled for two knights who stood on either side of her. "Take the princess to her room and make sure she stays there." I opened my mouth to

protest but my lips wouldn't form words. The knights dragged me away, despite my thrashing.

"Wait! I can walk! I demand respect!" I glared at Mab and couldn't help but notice the Thornguard making his way to the door.

When I was finished being deprived of my dignity, I was thrown onto my bed and the door was slammed behind the knights. The Thornguard came in and smirked. "You put on quite a show, Your Highness."

"So I did." I crossed my arms.

"Do you remember your way around the palace?" He leaned against the door frame. There was a glint of predatory hunger in his eyes.

"No. I get so lost in this place. It's so huge." I confessed. The Thornguard leered and crossed the room.

"Do you remember anything?" He sat on the bed next to me. I shook my head and opened my mouth to speak when a rushing headache hit me like a truck. I fell to my knees on the icy carpet of my room and knotted my fingers in it. The Thornguard rushed out the door as Chip threw it open. I shook violently as the pain grew worse, now feeling like fifty elephants sitting on me. Chip's eyes were full of worry. He helped me up from the floor and carried me to my bed. I leaned into his strong arms and tried to hold on, but I lost my grip on the present as memories of my past came flooding in.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Okay so I just had to write this chappie. Love all you reviewers. Don't stop reviewing. I need reviews to continue my genius. You know what they say, reviews keep away the writer's block faery. You've heard that, right? Disclaimer: I do not own the Iron Fey series.

_  
Ashley's POV

I had a massive headache as a whole bunch of memories flooded in. All I knew about the current world was that Chip's arms were holding me up.

-flashback 1-  
I craned my neck up to find Ash smiling down at me. "When I'm big, will you teach me how to use a swowd?" I beamed. He gave me an uncertain smile. "I'll be that tall." I pointed to his head.

"Most likely." He picked me up and ruffled my hair. "But that's at least nine years away." He tossed me up into the air. I squealed and began to giggle. My laughter was short lived because one of my other brothers came and Ash quickly caught me and set me down. Rowan sneered at me and spat on the ground, centimeters from my feet. Ash growled and pulled me behind him. "Leave her alone, Rowan. She's only two." I was a very smart two year old.

"Are you going soft, little brother?" He spat out the words like a curse. "When she's older, I'll bet she won't remember any of this. She won't remember your acts of valor. She's too young to understand any of this." He gestured widely to the current scene. I trembled and buried my face in Ash's leg.

"I'm not doing this to live in her memories." Ash picked me up. Rowan smirked and shot me a bloodthirsty grin.

"Then why _are_ you doing it, little brother?" He chuckled. "Hand me the girl."

"No." He growled, lowering one hand to his sword. I buried my face in his neck, afraid, shaking. _WAS ROWAN GONNA KILL ME? WHY IS HE DOING THIS? WHY DOES HE WANT ME?  
_  
"Give her to me." His tone hardened, predatory. Ash tightened his grip on me.

"I will not give her to you. Ever." I held him tighter, squeezing Ash's neck. I was set down and told to back up and not to watch. I only followed half of his orders, backing up but watching what was going on. They both unsheathed their swords and were instantly locked in combat. After what seemed like hours of no one getting hurt, Rowan got a chance and made a gash in Ash's arm. I screamed. Ash tried to keep fighting but he couldn't. Rowan really hurt him this time. I ran to Ash's side as he fell. I cried into his shirt. "I told you not to watch." He snarled.

"I know. I'm s...s..sorry. It was too tempreen..temptreen.. temptring." I couldn't pronounce that. Ash's face softened.

"Tempting." A knight cut in while passing by. _No way! It was Chip! And he was with Aubrey._ _Of course._

"It's okay. Just get...the...medical...supplies...from...my room please." Ash sucked in sharp breaths in between words.

"You are going soft, aren't you?" Rowan sneered and walked away. I bounded off to Ash's room to get the salve and gauze that apparently could fix everything.

-flash back 2-  
Mab stroked my golden locks. "Darling, you are my favorite child." She smiled. I beamed at her. Rowan growled and glared at me as if I had just insulted him. He waited for me to leave the room and threw me against the wall. I burst into tears and Ash quickly burst into the hallway. He found me curled up into a little ball on the cold floor. Ash growled an ominous growl as he took out his sword.

"Ash, don't do it." I stood and pulled on the blade with both hands. It cut deep into my palms and I screamed. Rowan chuckled and left as Ash bent over me, inspecting my hands. I began to control my tears and watched as the blood began to flow down my hands. I closed my eyes and turned my head to make sure I couldn't see my wounds.

"Why did you do that?" His voice was stony.

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt." I sniffled.

"That didn't work very well, did it?" he spat. My eyes filled with tears. I felt a sudden jerk of my hand so I looked. He had temporarily bandaged them with strips of cloth from his shirt. My lip quivered. His voice softened. "Let's bandage this properly." he kissed my forehead. I buried my face in his chest. He picked me up and carried me to his room. He bandaged my hands and changed his shirt.

-flash back 3-  
I smiled as Ash took my now healed hands in his own. "Ash, where's Uncle Puck?" I tilted my head. He sighed and squeezed my hands.

"He's not going to talk to us anymore."

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

"Okay." I shrugged, dismissing the question from my head.

-flash back 4-  
I twirled around slowly, showing off my dress. My older brother nodded in approval. "You look beautiful. I can't imagine how you'll look when you become a woman. All I want is to be there to tell you how beautiful you'll be." Ash picked me up and kissed my cheek. I giggled and squeezed his neck. Mab came in and raised an eyebrow. I wasn't sure what had happened, but Ash quickly put me down. I looked up at him with curiosity. Mab took my hand and led me to the ballroom. I skipped until I reached the doors. Ash opened the doors and a crowd of sidhe was revealed. I beamed and walked alongside my older brother. It was my third birthday.

"I'm a big girl now, right?" I looked up at Ash and blinked at the scene displayed before me. Ash wasn't there anymore. I turned in a full circle and Rowan pulled me out of castle grounds. He passed me to a group of druids who cast an enchantment on me, making me forget all my past. I was then knocked out.

-flash back 5-  
I remember waking up in an unknown room. An elderly woman gave me a warm smile. "How you feeling, sweetheart?" She helped me sit up.

"Okay. Where am I? Who am I?" I looked around. I was in a brightly colored room that had an open window. A cool breeze floated in and the gossamer red curtains were lifted up into the air.

"You're in Happy Oaks Orphanage. You were left by the door; you had a huge bump on your head so I took you to the hospital. You have a concussion. There was a note that said you were named Ashley. I'm sure your parents didn't want to give you up, sweetie." She began to pat my hand. I pulled it away from her.

"Can I go to sleep? I don't feel like talking." I stifled a sob. Why would she even think that my parents wouldn't want me?

"Yes, of course, sweetie. Right upstairs." She smiled sadly.

"Thanks." I went up the stairs and collapsed into an empty cot. I sobbed and tried to keep myself quiet, careful not to wake the other girls.

_

A/N: Awwwwwwwwwww. Ash is such a good brother. Poor Ashley, though. In the next chapter there's some fluff for all you fluff lovers. It's some serious fluff. I already wrote chapter nine but I'm not gonna post it if I don't get at least three positive reviews. There's some spots open for OC's in this story perhaps Puck's future girlfriend. Oops. Well, hopefully that's enough motivation for you to review. If you want to be an OC you can just say so and leave a name and description for your character. Obviously, Puck can only have one girlfriend so you'll have to be the first to ask to get that position. I have two OC spaces open sooooo Review fast! Good luck. (Oc's will be introduced in ch.11, most likely).


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry, ladies. Beautiful Redemption was the first to ask. Now she gets to be Puck's girlffriend.**

**Puck: don't stress, girls. You can still day dream like Naynay does.**

**Me: Hey!**

**Puck: don't deny it. You know you do.**

**Me: Shut up and let me tell the story you incredibly hot stupid boy, you. Disclaimer: I do not own the Iron Fey series.**

Chip's POV

I sighed in relief as Ashley began to sit up on her own. She was mumbling something indistinct. I rubbed her arm as she teared up. "Where's Ash?" She sniffled. I shrugged.

"I don't know. He's almost never at-"

"ASHLEY!" Mab's unmistakable voice came into the room before she did. I looked up at my queen and quickly kneeled before her. Ashley curtsied awkwardly. "Get up, Charles. You are going to be family soon."

"I... beg your pardon?" I stood. She gave us each a scroll. I opened mine slowly and cautiously.

"I've been talking to your mother, Charles. We have come to the decision of a betrothal." Mab grinned.

"A be-_what_?!" Ashley shrieked. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Why? I'm too young to get married. In a normal family you would be saying something along the lines of 'Honey, I think you and your boyfriend should break up' or 'I'm not letting you date until you're older'. Not _arranging_ marriage!"

"Who's getting married?" Ash came in, sharpening a dagger. I paled. He would kill me. Ashley blushed and hugged my arm. He looked from Mab to me and then to Ashley. "What?!" He glared at me. "But she's so young. She's only sixteen. With all due respect, Charles... You're an _idiot_!" Ashley quickly ran over to him and placed a hand on his chest, whispering something to him. He nodded and gave her a quick once over, asking her a question I couldn't hear. She shook her head and gave him a hug. He shot me an apologetic look. "So this was _your_ idea?" He turned to Mab. She smirked. "So you don't care that she's not going to have a life after this. She won't have time to be young and stupid and reckless. She won't have time to explore and have adventures and make rash decisions."

"There's always time for stupidity and rash decisions." Mab left. Ash looked at Ashley and sighed. She threw her arms around his neck and began to shake with silent tears.

"Ashley, I had nothing to do with it, I swear." I tried to persuade her into looking at me. She only cried harder. I looked at Ash and sighed. "What did I say?"

"It's not what you said. It's what I lived." She turned around, eyes puffy.

"What?" Ash and I spoke in unison.

"I remembered... everything." she sighed.

~An explanation later~

Ash's POV

I nodded and looked at her. "So it's _Rowan's_ fault?! For thirteen years I've blamed myself for this and it was Rowan." I felt my blood boiling. _It was all because of him. I always thought that because of my idiocy of leaving her side she was gone. Rowan had bribed that redcap._ I got up and left to find my brother, Ashley not too far behind. I bumped into him. He sneered.

"Mab is looking for the bride-to-be." He looked at Ashley and smirked. "Wedding planning or something."

"Go." I nodded at my little sister. She nodded and gave me a hug, leaving down the hall. I glared at Rowan. "You."

"What about me?" He crossed his arms.

"You're the reason Ashley was in the human world for so long." I snarled. Rowan's eyebrows shot up. "All these years I thought it was _my_ fault and it was _YOU_!" I lowered my hand to my sword hilt.

"Oh, I see what this is about. She finally regained her memory of her early years, didn't she? And you missed her so much because you're weak. And now that the secret's out, you want her to be the three year old she use to be. She's changed. A lot." I heard giggling in the distance and Ashley came into view, Charles' arm around her shoulders. He said something to her and she threw her head back, laughing. She was completely oblivious to the fact that I was watching and pulled him closer, kissing him. I looked away. "She's grown up, little brother." At that moment there was a glimmer of emotion. A glint in his eye. Something that gave me a hope that he wasn't completely evil. There was a second where I saw a speck of brotherly love in his eyes as he watched Ashley start walking down the hall with her betrothed. "She's never going to be as trusting as she used to be."

"My sons," Mab crooned. "I would like my favorite son to accompany the young couple on a journey she insists is necessary. She wants to find her father but she has no idea where to look. I want to make sure she doesn't find him. She will find her true mother. I want my favorite son to keep her from finding out that she is not my daughter."

"_Wha_t?!" I felt a stinging pain in my chest. Ashley isn't my sister?

"So... I'd be the one going along?" Rowan smirked.

"No." Mab chuckled, a dark purpose behind her words. "Ash will go."

"She's not my sister?" I was still shocked.

"No. Pay attention, Ash. You are going to make sure she doesn't find her parents." She rolled her eyes. "Stop her."

"How?"

"Do whatever is necessary. But keep her alive. Charles, on the other hand... doesn't need to make it back." she smirked. "It would be _better_ if he didn't make it back. Perhaps... you can make sure he trips if a group of goblins follow you." She grinned mischievously. "Do whatever is necessary." _I wouldn't kill off Charles. How would Ashley take it? She would hate me if she found out._

"I will go with them."

"We need to tell them." She turned, walking down the hall. Rowan grabbed my arm.

"You may be the favorite for now but I promise you that when you come back, you won't be the favorite," he hissed, shoving me out into the hall. I followed my mother into Ashley's room. She and her betrothed were in the middle of a kiss. He was too close to her if you ask me. I cleared my throat. She slowly pulled back and grinned, turning to look at me.

"Hey, Ash," she said, still grinning.

"He will be accompanying the two of you on your quest to find your parents." Mab crossed her arms.

"Yay!" Ashley threw her arms around my neck and squeezed really tight. She had definitely gotten stronger since she was two. "Isn't this great, Chip?"

"Yeah. Great." He didn't sound too happy.

**A/N: I'm just hoping some of you review because I need to know your thoughts about this new plot twist. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So... this chapter will be super duper extra important. Okay, so here goes... Disclaimer: IDNOTIFS**

**Ashley**

I shrieked as a bleeding bunny hopped out of the bushes, falling onto my foot. "The poor creature. It's suffering." I picked it up and bandaged its wound. It wiggled its nose at me. "Hey, guys, I think he likes me. I'm going to name you Mr. Fluffels and I'm going to take great care of you."

"Ashley, he won't make it through the night." Ash sat next to me, the only light of the fire making the shadows dance on his face and legs. I glared at him but decided against acknowledging his comment.

"We've been out here for months. Do you really think I'll find my father?" Over the few months of being out in the Wyldwood, Ash had taught me a little bit about fighting and using a sword, we had gone hunting, and we had gotten back to that strong bond we used to have. Chip and I had started getting serious and didn't mind the fact that we might have to marry. He had told me that he wouldn't force me to do anything on our wedding night and that he'd always protect me. _Isn't he just perfect?_ We were now in the outskirts of the Summer court. My fiancé was asleep behind the log I was sitting on.

"I do." A feminine voice answered. _What the heck? Did Ash just talk in a girl's voice?_ I raised an eyebrow at Ash but he was standing, sword drawn. "Calm yourself, ice prince. Besides, it would not be smart to pick a fight with me in my own lands. You're a long way from home." A woman's figure dressed in a tan hooded cloak came out of the shadows.

"Hello, Ashley. I know exactly what you will find on this adventure. Some things might shock you." Neon green converse peeked out the bottom of her cloak. "I can help you find your father. I live a few yards away from him."

"Nice shoes." I grinned. It was the first human thing I'd seen in _ages_.

"Yeah." She pushed down the hood and I gasped. She looked almost exactly like me. But different. Curly cinnamon hair cascaded down to her waist and choppy bangs were plastered to her forehead from the rain that had ended not twenty minutes ago. She had jade green eyes with olive flecks. Her skin, also olive, had little golden freckles running along the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks. She smiled warmly at me, creating a dimple in her left cheek. "I've been waiting for you to come to me for so many years. I've really missed you." She gave me a hug.

"Hey, what's going on?" Chip's groggy voice came from behind me.

"Of course. Charles. My future brother in law." She let me out of her arms and walked over to him. _Her future WHAT now?!_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back it up, girly. You mean to say he's going to marry your sister?" I crossed my arms. "Who are you anyways?"

"Tallia Ivan." She curtsied.

"And who is this sister of yours?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Ashley Ivan." she smiled.

"Ha. Guess you're attracted to Ashleys." I looked at Chip. He shrugged. "How do you know me?"

"I am..." she hesitated "A seer. I have been mainly focusing on your life. You're my mission. Do you want to find your father or not?" She turned around.

"Yes."

"Well, follow me, doll faces." She began to walk away. We picked up our things and put out the fire, following the mysterious Tallia.

~/hours later\~

"I bet that sister of hers is a real pain in the heiny." I grumbled. Chip chuckled and took my hand in his. We had taken a rest stop and sat on a bunch of random logs.

"I'm sure she is."

"Do you want to know who that sister is?" She sat on the log next to me.

"Sure." I feigned cheeriness. She gave me a thick wooden bracelet with intricate carvings, showing me an identical one on her wrist.

"She's you." She kept her voice low. I looked up at her. "Every daughter has one of these. When we all have it..." she trailed off.

"The carvings glow." I didn't know how I knew this but I did. I slipped on the bracelet and watched as the carvings glowed a pale blue that was just a bit darker than Ash's sword.

"I'm glad you're home, lil' sis." She grinned.

"Wait just a minute," Ash glared at her.

"You're still my older brother." I rolled my eyes at Ash and turned to look at Tallia. "Mab's your mom too, then? What happened?"

"Mab is not your mother. Delancy Ivan is."

"What?!" Chip and I both burst out at the same time. "I'm not - He's not - Ash - Mab - Rowan - Mother - WHAT?" I sputtered.

"Come on. That's enough rest time, I believe. We are very close now." She pulled me away from the log, Ash and Chip following us close behind.

"Can I ask you a question?" I mumbled, still in a complete state of shock.

"Yes." she smiled.

"Can you tell me the story?" I looked down at my feet. I heard a whoop and then a shriek. I froze and looked back at the guys. Tallia smiled and Ash snarled. I had mixed feelings about what was coming our way.

"Maybe later." She looked towards the sound. A redhead and a blonde fell out of a tree, landing millimeters from my toes. I screamed and jumped back.

"Calm down, banshee. Jeeze..." The redhead's eyes fell on my wrist and he nudged the blonde in the ribs with his elbow. She looked up at me, still laughing. "We found her." The girl had a bracelet identical to Tallia's and mine.

**A/N: YAY! She has sisters. And Ash is getting jeally. Calm your chizniz Ash. Ashley loves you. Okay? Okay.**

**Ash: She's WAY too excited about having sisters. She's forgetting about me. I don't like it.**

**Ashley: I'm not forgetting about you.**

**Ash: Yes, you are!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A special thanks to my reviewers ninja princess LW and The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles. Disclaimer: Idnotifs.**

**Ashley**

I shook my head as they explained the full story of who I was. Apparently, mom and dad had a zillion other kids before me and I'm the child they got caught with. So Zaine blames me for mom being caught by Mab and being banished. The whole thing was a tragic love story.

Mom and dad met at Elysium. They only saw each other there and one time dad decided to talk to her and confess his feelings for her. They snuck off together every few Elysiums and eventually got married in secret. They had children and snuck away from court to meet in the wyldwood. Mom and dad had six kids before they had me. I was the seventh. Three boys and three girls. Four girls if you count me. My mom went into labor during Elysium and Mab saw that the baby - that I - was half summer. Mab was outraged when my mother confessed about her marriage with my father and she was banished. But Mab kept me. She saw potential in me for a warrior. She was going to treat me like a daughter of hers and make one of my "brothers" teach me how to use a weapon and glamour. I was going to be trained. Trained to fight. Trained to kill. Trained to be a monster. But when I was kidnapped, her plans were destroyed. She couldn't use me anymore. In a way, being kidnapped saved me. I needed to be kidnapped. I would have become a monster.

"It's your fault!" Zaine, one of my brothers, yelled, about to punch me. I flinched but Chip pushed him away from me.

I heard a familiar grunt and looked up. Ash and Chip had both stepped in to protect me from Zaine. My brother - my blood related one - was doubled over and Ash wrapped an arm around my shoulders, suddenly more protective than ever. I crossed my arms and bit my lip to keep from thanking him. "It's your fault mom was banished!" Zaine glared at me murderously. If we were alone, he would have killed me. I slumped slightly.

"Zaine." Father warned. His blue eyes looked me over to make sure I was okay. Along with his blue eyes, My dad had blonde hair and tan skin. I looked like my mother, I guess. Zaine looked a lot like dad but he had brown hair that was short on the sides and longish at the top so that it got into his violet eyes. He had a lip ring that he had explained wasn't made of iron. "Leave her be. It wasn't her fault." My father continued and helped me find my room in the house he had. I smiled and collapsed onto the mattress. "Sleep well, daughter," he called, closing the door behind him. I got under the covers, but they were so hot I started sweating. I uncovered myself and but still sweating. I groaned and opened the door in the hall. No one was out anymore that I could tell so I closed the door, shed my outer layer of clothes and lay down under my covers again. I was about to fall asleep when the door cracked open.

"Ashley?" Chip called. I absentmindedly told him to come in. He sat on the edge of my bed. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to share a room." he blushed. "There's no other rooms available and your father said to check with you."

"Oh." I was about to sit up but my eyes widened as I realized how bare I was. "Can you wait in the hall please?" My face heated up and he nodded, leaving without a word. I put on my clothes again. I let him back in and he shed his shirt, laying down with me.

"This isn't awkward for you, right?" he asked as we lay down together in my bed. I had my back to his chest and he was holding me tightly.

"It's fine." I laughed. "I'm just jealous."

"Of what?" He laced his fingers with mine, bringing my hand out of the blankets and playing with my fingers.

"Of you." I pouted, turning around and poking his chest.

"For...?" He chuckled.

"It's so hot and you can take your shirt off because you're a guy." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You can too." He smirked. My jaw dropped and I shut my mouth, struggling to find what to say. His lips met mine in a kiss that was far from innocent and I tried to push him away.

"Ashley, can I borrow your...?" Aria, my sister trailed off. "I can come back later." I blushed and sat up.

"It's fine. What did you want to borrow?" I choked out the words as Chip's fingers traced lines up my thighs.

"Your brush. I'm braiding Zaira's hair and it's such a mess!" Zaira was her best friend.

"It's in the top drawer of my dresser." My legs felt like jelly. She got it, smiled at me, and left, closing the door. Chip kissed my neck and I hit his face with the back of my hand. "Would you stop it?!" I hissed. He smirked and kissed me, his lips firm on mine. He continued kissing me for what seemed like forever. My lungs ached and I desperately needed to breathe. He pulled back and I gasped for air. "Chip?"

"I'm sorry. You're addicting." He kissed me. I turned around and curled up into a ball. He tried to hug me.

"Don't touch me." I said, icicles dripping off my words.

"Oh, come on. don't be like that." He laughed. I sat up and looked at him, smacking his face and laying back down. "What did I do?"

"I asked you to stop and you kept going." I crossed my arms. "You idiot."

A knock on the door made me jump to my feet and answer the door. Aria. "The brush came in handy. Hey, we have a cot for him. But I think you found a place for him." She rubbed the back of her neck. _Oh, thank God._

"Oh. Him? Oh no. He's taking the cot." I crossed my arms.

"But-?"

"You are taking the cot." I interrupted him.

"Fine." He got up, grabbed his shirt and left. I burst into quiet sobs as he left. _Why was being a teenage girl so complicated? Why were boys so complicated? Why were boys so stupid? Why were my emotions so uncontrollably fragile? Why was I such an idiot for liking Chip? So many unanswered questions. If only my life were less complicated._

**A/N: Okay, a quick note. Zaine is pronounced like Za-eene. And yes, Chip was trying to do what you think he was trying to do. Any questions you have, can be answered in the next chapter's author's note. Just ask by pm or review. I will answer any questions pertaining to the story.**


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